Guiding Principles for Pharmaceutical Physicians from the Ethical Issues Committee of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK.

Medical practitioners practising in the field of pharmaceutical medicine, whether in industry, regulatory bodies or an academic environment, are bound by the same ethical standards which apply to all doctors. Their work, however, leads to some very specific ethical considerations which may not be fully explored in ethical codes based in clinical medicine. This document aims to establish some guiding principles which should underpin a working ethical framework for pharmaceutical physicians. It clearly places the protection of patients (and research subjects) and the doctor's duties to wider society ahead of responsibilities to an individual employer while emphasising the importance of adherence to high standards of research, including dissemination of findings. These principles form the basis of a fuller report which offers more specific practical advice on possible ethical conflicts or dilemmas.